1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to hose reels for rotatably supporting and dispensing a length of garden hose. More specifically, this invention relates to a hose reel stand for pivotably supporting a hose reel. The hose reel stand permits the hose reel to freely pivot about a vertical axis to facilitate the dispensing of the garden hose from any direction relative to the hose reel stand, while also being adapted to support various flow control devices.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Hose reels are well known in the art for holding and dispensing hoses, such as a common garden hose. An example of a hose reel known in the art is U.S. Pat. No. 4,506,698 to Garcia et al. Typically, the general construction of a hose reel involves some form of hub which can be supported on a mobile stand or attached to a wall, such as an exterior wall of a building. A suitable reel is rotatably mounted to the hub and, in use, a length of hose is wound upon the reel. When desired, the hose can be dispensed by pulling upon the free end of the hose to rotate the reel upon the hub. The reel will often be provided with a handle such that the reel can also be rotated to collect the hose upon the reel.
A disadvantage with hose reel devices such as that taught by Garcia et al is that the method for mounting the hub prevents the hub and reel assembly from adjusting to the direction from which the hose is being pulled. For example, as a result of the hub being mounted to the side of a house or supported by a conventional stand, the hose must either be unwound from the reel by hand or the hose must be pulled in a direction nearly perpendicular to the axis of the hub to encourage the reel to rotate easily. Accordingly, a hose reel assembly as taught by Garcia et al is not particularly suitable for use in a large yard where the user desires to use the hose in several directions relative to the hose reel.
It is known in the art to rotatably support a hose reel upon a post or shaft, as illustrated by U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,184,180 to Rockwell and 4,793,376 to Hare. Rockwell teaches containing the hose reel within a housing which is mounted upon a spike. The spike can be easily inserted and removed from the ground to allow the hose reel's use in various locations. However, the construction of the hose reel assembly taught by Rockwell is not sufficiently rugged for a long length of hose. Moreover, the ease with which the spike can be removed from the ground allows the hose reel assembly to be easily stolen. Hare teaches a more rugged construction, but is limited to providing an enclosed hose reel device which is not readily adjustable or adaptable to meet the various needs of different users. In addition, Hare teaches that the hose and hose reel assembly is rotatably supported with a coupling which can be easily detached, and the hose and reel assembly is therefore also susceptible to theft.
As can be appreciated from the above, it would be desirable to provide a hose and reel assembly that provides ease of dispensing and recoiling the hose, while also having features that make the assembly adjustable and relatively theft-proof.
Accordingly, what is needed is an adjustable hose and reel assembly having a rugged construction adapted to be permanently anchored to discourage theft, while also allowing the hose reel to pivot freely for dispensing the hose in any radial direction from the hose reel.